formerly citizens' greener Evanston
Evanston now has 25 years to achieve its carbon neutrality and zero waste goals as outlined in the Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP), and Sustainability and Resilience Manager Cara Pratt has said the city has already accomplished the “low-hanging fruit” in pursuing these targets.
What climate goals and policies would you prioritize in the coming term? How should the city pursue reduction of building emissions?
Do you support phasing out natural gas use in new construction, and requiring existing buildings work toward carbon neutrality over the next 25 years?
My climate priorities for the coming term focus on three interconnected areas: transportation, comprehensive planning, and community engagement. First, we must address public transportation access and usage. Despite Evanston’s robust transit, our drive-to-work rate is only marginally better than Wilmette’s (42.6% vs. 44%). We need to do more to understand why. This requires developing solutions for those commuting to suburbs with limited transit access and parents juggling work and childcare/school drop-offs.
Second, our comprehensive plan and zoning must fully integrate climate goals. The plan must holistically consider all factors impacting carbon emissions, including how a robust local economy is important to having businesses within walking distance.
Finally, we need to rethink the education and social engineering aspects of climate action. Examples include shifting everything (e.g. composting) to an opt-out system, notifying residents who could save by having solar panels, and facilitating community groups based on shared interests to encourage circular economies.
The city can significantly reduce building emissions by renovating City Hall and adhering to CARP standards while maximizing energy efficiency. Furthermore, the city should avoid purchasing renewable energy credits.
I support phasing out natural gas use in new construction and requiring existing buildings work toward carbon neutrality.
Nearly 2/3rds of all households in Evanston own one or no cars, and a majority of residents do not commute via car. Each year, more Evanstonians of all ages are walking, rolling, and using bus or train service for convenience, physical fitness, cost-savings, and environmental benefits.
How do you incorporate walking, biking and public transit into your everyday life?
My family does enjoy the walkable aspects of our neighborhood for recreational activities. We frequently walk to our local bakery, nearby parks, restaurants, and the beach. However, when it comes to getting to places efficiently or on a strict schedule, I don’t find public transit in Evanston to be comprehensive enough to meet the needs of families like mine. Part of the reason I’m running for office is because I want to give a voice to families with young children, as I feel our concerns are not always adequately considered or addressed in conversations about transportation and mobility. Before having children, I walked to work and to social activities every day, and I absolutely loved it. I rarely drove. But now, as a parent, I find that having a young family makes it much harder to rely on public transit for our daily needs. My husband and I, like many couples, work in different cities. He works in a suburb north of Evanston, while I work in Fulton Market in Chicago. We chose to live in Evanston because it’s a halfway point, but that means neither of us has a job that is walkable. In my husband’s case, there is no viable public transit option for his commute. My own workplace is conveniently located near stops for the Metra and the CTA. However, as a parent of a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old, I haven’t been able to find a way to utilize public transportation when I drop both of my children off at their respective schools in the morning before going to work myself without adding at least an hour to my commute. Furthermore, traveling with young children and a stroller can be challenging, especially in the winter. Breaking down strollers to board buses is cumbersome, and navigating non-ADA-compliant train and subway stations with a stroller and a baby is often impossible and unsafe. Plus, their respective schools are not in close proximity to train and subway stations. I think there are things the city can do to make it easier for families to reduce car usage, but those conversations are not happening. For example, the City of Evanston provides no bussing for middle school students (under any circumstances) and generally does not bus elementary school children (including 6-year-olds) that may live a mile away from their schools. The consequence of this, though perhaps unintended, is that the majority of children in Evanston are dropped off by their parents in the morning.
Academic research and case studies from cities like Paris, Amsterdam, and New York show that reducing car traffic and building protected bike lanes are necessary to meet climate and mobility goals. Plans such as the Chicago Ave Multimodal Project provide an example of how this can be implemented in Evanston.
Where would you want infrastructure improvements, such as traffic calming, pedestrianization/ street closures, and protected bike lanes, to encourage more walking and cycling?
The 7th Ward faces several challenges and opportunities for infrastructure improvements to promote walking and cycling, while addressing safety and accessibility issues. Here are specific areas I would prioritize:
1. Improving Sidewalks: A major issue in the 7th Ward is the insufficient sidewalk infrastructure. Many sidewalks are uneven, discontinuous, or inaccessible, creating barriers for pedestrians, particularly those with mobility challenges or strollers. We should prioritize leveling, repairing, and extending sidewalks to ensure continuous, safe pathways for all.
2. Protected Bike Lane on Lincoln Street: Heavy bike usage on Lincoln Street, particularly between Sheridan Road and Green Bay Road, highlights the need for a protected bike lane in this area. The street is already wide, parking is plentiful, and most homes have driveways, making this a highly feasible project. A protected bike lane here would significantly enhance connectivity between the Central Street Metra stop and the Central Street CTA stop.
3. Addressing Accessibility at Central Street and Green Bay Road: The corner of Central Street and Green Bay Road poses serious accessibility challenges. The slanted sidewalk and reliance on stair steps make it difficult for people with mobility issues to access the bus stop. This intersection needs significant redesign to ensure full ADA compliance and ease of access for all.
4. Pedestrian Bridge on Central Street: A pedestrian bridge across Green Bay Road at Central Street is a moonshot idea that could dramatically improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians navigating this busy intersection. This would also encourage more walking and reduce car dependency in the area.
Public transit has seen a major change in ridership trends, with 9-to-5 commuter services falling short of pre-COVID milestones while off-peak and weekend demand climbs despite infrequent and often unreliable schedules. CTA, PACE, and Metra are facing a ‘fiscal cliff’, as federal dollars to keep transit service operating run out by 2026.
While not in the position to solve this problem on its own, what can the City of Evanston do to support existing bus and train service, and how would you want to see public transportation expanded in our city in the future?
To support existing transit and plan for its future, Evanston must first conduct thorough research to understand why ridership has declined and identify barriers preventing residents from using public transit. The City needs precise data to tailor solutions that meet the community's needs effectively and capitalize on opportunities as they arise. The CMAP Community Data Snapshot for Evanston highlights some key trends. For example, 22.8% of Evanston residents now work from home (compared to 14.2% in Cook County), reflecting a significant shift since COVID-19. Many jobs that previously required commuting now allow remote work. Additionally, Wilmette residents use public transit slightly more than Evanston residents (17.4% vs. 15.3%), despite Evanston having a more extensive transit system. This discrepancy suggests potential barriers to usage in Evanston that need exploration. It’s also important to recognize that some residents, like my husband, commute to destinations not reachable by public transit. Understanding the percentage of residents in similar situations will help us set realistic goals and focus on achievable solutions. Even with perfect transit, there may always be a segment of commuters reliant on cars. For families, especially those with school-aged children, we can improve transit by encouraging carpooling, expanding school bus services, and addressing specific challenges they face. Lastly, we must acknowledge that transit solutions won’t be one-size-fits-all. Different neighborhoods in Evanston have different needs. Downtown has enough businesses to support walkability, but areas like the 5th and 6th Wards require targeted efforts to increase business activity and in turn increase walkability. By understanding and addressing these nuances, Evanston can better support its transit system and advocate for expansion that meets the diverse needs of all residents.
With parallels to Envision Evanston 2045, Minneapolis has modified its zoning code in the past decade to eliminate minimum parking requirements, encourage transit-oriented development, and allow the construction of more “missing middle” housing city-wide. Together, these reforms lead to a stabilization of rent prices, a drop in homelessness, reduced displacement, and increased racial diversity. Environmental benefits were also realized, as more dense and mixed-use developments encourage lower rates of car ownership and generate less embodied carbon from construction.
What changes to Evanston’s zoning code, such as the ones listed above, would you support in response to the housing and climate crises?
I support reducing minimum parking requirements where appropriate, encouraging transit-oriented development, and promoting the construction of “missing middle” housing throughout the city. I also generally support the goals of Envision Evanston 2045, even though I’ve been outspoken about its current implementation. My concerns on implementation center on the lack of data backing and the incompleteness of the plan. City officials have since acknowledged these issues and agreed that the consultants hired to develop the plan did not deliver satisfactory work. Once these issues are addressed, I would be fully supportive of the plan's housing and climate-related goals.
